By the time they emerged from the Fire Phoenix Studio, the sky had gone completely dark.
After bidding farewell to the disciple seeing him off, Ye Jingtang looked up and spotted two people and a bird beneath the flagpole outside.
Perhaps tired of waiting, Qinghe leaned against the flagpole with her arms folded. Her casual stance did nothing to diminish her beauty as she turned her head to speak to her niece Yunli.
Zhe Yunli, meanwhile, was the complete opposite of how she had looked going in. She sat lounging on the railing nearby. Though her face beneath her bamboo hat was lively, her bearing was that of a tomboy as she teased the naughty older woman beside her.
Niao Niao had been keeping watch in the sky to guard against anything unusual happening nearby while he was away. Only now did the bird descend from high above and perch on Ye Jingtang's shoulder, urging him with, "Chirp, chirp, chirp..." Probably announcing that it was dinnertime.
Ye Jingtang raised a hand to stroke Niao Niao, then approached the flagpole and teased:
"Yunli, what sort of sitting posture is that? Master’s Wife would give you a scolding if she saw you."
At the sight of Ye Jingtang, Zhe Yunli quickly hopped down and resumed the appearance of a demure young lady.
"I'm doing as the locals do. What if I acted too well-behaved and someone set their sights on me and kidnapped me?"
Ye Jingtang thought that, given Yunli's abilities, it was hard to say who would be kidnapping whom if a trafficker came along. He smiled, then turned toward Qinghe as she approached.
"It's settled. We just need to come back tomorrow for the registry tokens. I also asked about some work, to see if we can get a legitimate